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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.09 - Party like a Rock Star

The plane rumbled as the landing gear touched down in Missoula. A smile spread across my lips. I'd been waiting all day for this!

Even though school had only lasted until just before lunch for me, it had been one of the longest school days of my life. The excitement I felt at seeing Madison again was big, and now it was only going to be a few more minutes before we would be pulling up to her house.

The trip from the airport took about 20 minutes. Most of it was on the Interstate, but after exiting we ended up driving through some residential areas as we made our way toward my cousin's house. It was fun to watch the people who were outside stop and stare as Eddie maneuvered the bus down the road. Some even enthusiastically started waving, and I wondered if they'd be at the concert tomorrow.

Eventually we reached the turn that I knew led to Madison's house, and I could feel the giddiness that I had been holding back all day break through. I watched impatiently as Eddie pulled the bus down the short road and through the small entryway that led onto their large lot. I got up from the couch and rushed toward the entrance to the bus.

"I'll let you out here and then back into the RV hookups," Eddie told me. I nodded, but I didn’t really hear him. I just wanted him to open the door. The bus finally came to a stop, and Eddie finally opened the door.

There was a small crowd of family members waiting for us outside the bus, but I ignored all of them as I focused on Madison.

"Maddie!" I screamed excitedly as I quickly disembarked from the bus and rushed toward her, wrapping her in a friendly hug. It had only been three months since Madison and her family had come down to visit us, but it felt like it had been much longer. I was happy to finally have some time to spend with one of my favorite cousins.

"Sarah!" she screamed back and embraced me. Then we started jumping up and down in excitement. This was going to be an awesome weekend!

Eventually we were able to calm down enough for me to look around at everyone else who was assembled. I had to greet Aunt Olivia with a hug. She wouldn't have it any other way, but I was able to get away with a verbal greeting to Uncle Kevin, Madison's older brother James, and her younger brother Logan. There were a number of people gawking from the edge of Uncle Kevin's property, which meant I couldn't do more. This would definitely be a different kind of vacation, since I was going to be wearing the wig the whole time. But it was still nice to see them.

"Come inside while Kevin and your driver get the bus hooked up," Aunt Olivia said. I nodded and we followed her inside. Uncle Kevin stayed behind to help Eddie back the bus into the RV parking spot that he had installed near the house years earlier.

It was nice to sit back and relax with my family over the next hour. It was the only time I was going to get all weekend where they would be able to treat me as Megan. With the girls arriving for the slumber party soon, I'd be full time Sarah until we flew out Sunday afternoon.

When the girls started arriving for the party I resigned myself to my fate for the weekend and decided that I should go out and meet them. A quick glance out the window in the front room of my Aunt and Uncle's house proved that I would need to do something about the crowd that had formed at the edge of their property too. News about where I was staying had apparently traveled fast.

When I walked out the front door a roar filled the air. I smiled. I had spent enough time here with my family that I was able to recognize some of Madison's neighbors, but they had never been this excited to see me before. Even here, at the home of extended family, I couldn't escape the rush of adrenaline that a crowd chanting my name invoked within me.

The first person who met me turned out to be Tori. When I approached the car that she was unloading her overnight bag from, she nearly screamed in excitement when she saw me. She dropped her bag on the ground and enveloped me in her arms like she couldn't believe I was there. When I had called Madison the night before, this tall blonde had been one of the two girls who was screaming in the background. It appeared that her excitement hadn't abated at all.

"It's nice to meet you, Tori," I said once she had managed to pry herself away from me and Madison introduced us.

"I can't believe this is happening!" she screamed back, and I thought she was going to hug me again, but she settled for dancing around in place for a moment. She would certainly make the evening fun, if her excitement was any indication.

Before I could do anything else I was interrupted by Amy. She, along with Cole and Mason, had insisted on flying with us and staying the night at Uncle Kevin's. I had a feeling it was for a moment like this. She steered me over to the crowd and I spent the next twenty minutes signing autographs and taking pictures. Every once in a while I caught sight of Madison greeting the other girls as they arrived, while I was moving through the crowd. She looked surprised at how the people I was interacting with were acting. I had told her that people often lost their minds around me, but she hadn't believed it. I loved seeing fans get this excited when they had the opportunity to meet me. It was one of the benefits of Sarah Carerra that I loved most.

Eventually I was able to extract myself from the crowd and I found Madison waiting with Tori and three other girls outside of the bus. I recognized the black haired girl’s screams of excitement before Madison introduced her to me as Rachel. The other two were just as excited. The brunette girl who looked like a model turned out to be Charlotte, and the petite redhead was Lily.

"Come on in," I told them after they started to settle down. "I'll give you the tour."

I stepped up and into the bus, and each of the girls picked up their overnight bags before they joined me. I motioned for them to leave their bags on the couch before I said anything else.

"This is the main room," I told them unnecessarily. "The couch pulls out into a bed, which two of you will have to sleep on. Sorry about sharing, but there isn't a whole lot of room in here."

There were a few giggles at that. I was certain they didn’t care where they slept as long as they were here.

"The TV is hard to miss," I said, garnering a few more chuckles as they looked at the large screen hanging on the wall opposite the couch. "There's a blu-ray player and other electronics in that small cabinet." I pointed, but the girls still seemed to be looking around the bus. They seemed impressed, and I knew that the dark brown hardwood flooring and the lighter whiteish beigey yellow wood paneling that made up the walls looked amazing. The expensive looking accoutrements were enough to bring wide-eyed gazes to those that visited. Some of the girls were staring at the display case that was between the TV and kitchen.

"What is that?" Tori asked, pointing at the centerpiece of the display.

"That is the band's Carerra bear," I explained. "It is an important part of our pre-concert ritual." The girls nodded. I got the impression they knew it was more important than that, but nobody asked for more clarification. They would learn more about it tomorrow anyway.

I continued the tour further into the bus. "You're welcome to anything in the fridge," I told them, pointing at the full-size stainless-steel fridge that had been stocked for the party. "If you guys want to order a pizza or something we can do that too."

I led them further back. "On the right is the bathroom. To the left here are three bunks for sleeping. The top one is off-limits and belongs to my driver, though he won't be using it this evening. You guys can argue over who gets to sleep in the other two if you want."

I continued further until we reached the highlight of the bus. As the hardwood floor gave way to a plush carpet nearly the same color I heard some intakes of breath from the girls behind me. I thought that the rest of the bus was incredible, but it couldn't hold a candle to my bedroom. The interior designer whom Dad had hired to decorate the bus had spared no expense with the room.

"There is a shower in here," I told the girls. "We probably can't all shower in the morning, unless you want to go into the house, so if any of you would prefer to shower tonight that might help." Rachel and Tori were nodding their heads, which relieved me because it wasn't going to take forever to get ready in the morning.

"There is a second bathroom in here if needed," I continued familiarizing my guests with their accommodations for the evening. "Madison and I will be sleeping in here tonight," I told them. "But you're welcome to look around all you want. This wall is one of my favorite things on the bus."

All of the girl's eyes turned to the display case I was pointing at, which made up the majority of the back wall of the bus. It was covered in photos. Soon, unbeknownst to them, their own pictures would be displayed among the other photos that depicted each of the girls that had attended a Starshine party. There were other pictures of fans and friends and family, and I loved being able to take all of them with me as I traveled around the country.

"Wow," Lily said. "Who are all of these people?"

"Family and friends," I told her truthfully. "Some I met on tour. Some I've known my whole life." I took a moment to search through the pictures. "There's Madison," I said while pointing at a picture of her with her family. "And that's Megan, Maddie's cousin," I continued, pointing to a picture of me. "The three of us were good friends when Maddie still lived in Los Angeles."

A chuckle escaped Madison at the recollection. I could see the happy smile spread across her lips. Madison, Emily, and I had been good friends when we were younger. Maddie hadn't lived close enough to Emily and me to get together every day, but we saw each other often enough.

"Anyway," I said, pulling their gaze away from the case. "What do you guys want to do first?"

* * *

"He looks scared," Charlotte said, peering out the window. The poor boy seemed to be struggling between following the instructions that were taped to the items he was carrying and his own insecurity about approaching the door to the bus.

"Do you think he'll knock?" Rachel asked.

"If he wants to get paid he will," Tori chortled.

"Let's give him a break," I suggested, staring out the window with them. The young man standing at the door couldn't see us through the dark tint that covered all of the windows on the bus.

They were having too much fun at his expense. A groan of disappointment echoed from the girls as I stood up and walked to the doorway leading into the driver's area of the bus. From there I opened the outside door and took the two steps needed to reach the bottom.

"Hi," I said to the boy. His eyes were now bulging at the sight of me. "Did you bring our pizzas?"

I visibly watched him gulp before he was able to muster the courage to answer me.

"I, um," he stuttered. "Ye--Yes," he managed a moment later. "They're right here," he said unnecessarily while lifting up the pizza bag he was carrying. He took that opportunity to look away from me, fiddling with the flap that he eventually opened to reveal the two pizza boxes inside. Once he did, he seemed to relax, at least until he glanced back up at me.

I heard the giggling coming from the bus as he went all doe-eyed on me again. I smiled, and he almost dropped the pizzas as he pulled them out of his bag.

"S...Sorry!" he exclaimed as he scrambled to keep them from falling.

"It's okay," I said calmly, waiting for him to gather his bearings once more and actually hand me the pizzas. It took him a moment to realize that was what he needed to do next.

"Oh!" he exclaimed again and finally handed the two large boxes to me.

"Thank you," I said sweetly, taking the boxes from him. I reached out with my other hand and passed him two bills. He looked at them for a moment before looking at me once again, his eyes almost as large as the first time he had seen me. I heard the girls giggle again, and I had to struggle to do the same. "Keep the change."

He nodded, and turned toward his car. He only made it two steps before he looked back in amazement again. It was a large tip, but I knew he didn’t realize how much fun the girls were having at his expense. I didn't want him to feel used, and he deserved the tip.

I waved slowly and then turned and entered the bus.

"You are so bad!" Madison laughed as I joined them back in the living area. "That poor boy!"

I laughed with her for a moment. "Yeah, well, he just got an $18 tip, so don't feel too bad for him," I told her, causing her to laugh even louder, even if her eyes opened a bit wider in surprise.

I placed the boxes down on the kitchen table. "Let's eat!"

They didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

"Never?" Lily asked me.

"Never," I replied.

"But..." Tori said. "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious," I told her.

"Wow!" Rachel looked shocked.

"You've never kissed a boy?" Charlotte asked. All of the girls were stunned except Maddie, who was just sitting in the corner laughing her head off. I wanted to throw a pillow at her, but I didn't have one handy.

"Well, not for real," I replied truthfully. "I had to kiss the guy we cast as my boyfriend for the 'Ever After' music video this week, but he has a girlfriend. I also kissed one of my best friends on the cheek once, after my first concert. Then he ran away to summer camp to hide from me."

Maddie nearly shrieked in laughter at that statement, and even the other girls started laughing. I had a feeling that Maddie knew I was talking about Ethan, and she was starting to turn red from the lack of oxygen because she was laughing so hard. I couldn't help but laugh along with them, or at her expense - I wasn't sure which.

"How come?" Lily was eventually able to ask. I just grinned at her before wagging a finger at her.

"I already answered my question," I admonished. "Maddie, truth or dare?"

"Dare," she replied quickly. Almost too quickly. I wondered what she was worried that someone would ask if she had said ‘truth’.

"I dare you to take off your shirt and go knock on James' window," I said. The horror that filled her face at the idea of letting her brother see her in a bra was huge! The rest of the girls and I started laughing.

"No!" she practically screamed. "Are you crazy?"

"You did say ‘dare’," Tori piped up. "You can't go back now."

"I'm sick of this game," Madison told us. "Can't we just watch the movie now?"

"No!" Rachel replied.

"Chicken!" Charlotte included.

"Fine!" Maddie said, pulling her top over her head. She was wearing a fairly plain white bra, but even so she had already started to turn red in embarrassment before she was even able to get out the door of the bus. She crept over to her older brother's window. It was only 9:00, but his window was dark. She knocked quickly and ran back to the bus. The light in his room came on and a shadow appeared at the window, but Maddie was already back inside the door.

Groans of disappointment echoed from all of us as she reached for her top and pulled it back over her head. She was breathing heavily, and it wasn’t because of her short run.

"Fine," Lily said. "Let's start the movie."

The disappointment we all felt at how easily Madison was able to get out of her embarrassment led us all to agree with her.

* * *

"Good night," I called once again before closing and locking the door to my bedroom. Tori and Rachel had managed to claim the couch bed, and Lily and Charlotte seemed to be okay with sleeping in the bunks. Madison was already in my bedroom, though she looked nervous as I turned toward her.

"Locking me in?" she asked lightly, but it was apparent that she was still worried about staying in the room with me all night.

"No," I chortled back. "I'm not sleeping in this," I told her and reached up and pulled a pin from the wig. "And I don't want the others coming in while I'm not wearing it."

Madison nodded, but she still hadn't moved to start changing for bed. Maddie had been there the day I collapsed on the stage of the 'Wake Up!' show. Logically she knew that I was a girl through and through, but emotionally it was still a new concept to her. I had talked to her many times since then, but we'd had less than a day together after I'd been released from the hospital before her family had left to return to Montana. We had spent very little time together.

To help alleviate her worry, I finished unpinning the wig quickly and set it down on the dresser before taking off my top. She felt a bit more comfortable after I had started undressing first, and by the time I had changed into my pajamas and stowed the wig in the small, locked armoire that matched the one we had at home, she too was ready for bed.

"Have a preference?" I asked her, pointing to the bed.

"The outside?" she replied, though unsure of her answer. I understood that she wanted me to decide. I nodded and climbed into the bed. She did likewise, though she left a lot of room between us and faced away from me. She was so far away that she had to be barely on the bed. I thumbed the light switch that was built into the area next to the bed, plunging us into darkness.

"You don't have to sleep in here if you feel uncomfortable," I told her. "I understand. I just thought you might want to. There's a sleeping bag out by the couch if you would prefer to sleep somewhere else."

"No, this is okay," she replied quickly. "It's just...weird."

"I know," I told her.

"Don't get me wrong, Megan," she said, able to call me by my name for the first time all evening. "I know you are a girl. I'm just not used to it."

"I know," I said again. "I understand."

We laid there in silence for a few minutes. It was still early to end a slumber party, only 11:30. But I had a big day tomorrow and I knew I needed to get a good night's sleep. I had offered the other girls the chance to continue having fun until they were tired, but they had all started getting ready for bed when I did. None of them wanted to be responsible for keeping me up and making me tired for the concert.

Just when I thought Maddie must have fallen asleep, she turned to face me.

"Thank you, Megan," she said. "You're the best. Tonight was so fun, and I'm sure my friends won't be able to stop talking about it for weeks."

"You're welcome, Maddie," I told her. "It's the least I could do for my favorite cousin.”

Even in the dark I could see her smile.

* * *

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